page_title: Triathlon equipment
section_title: Cap and Goggles
hierarchical_section_title: Triathlon equipment / Swimming equipment / Cap and Goggles
caption_attribution_description: English: Simon Whitfield at the 2008 World Triathlon Championships. Wilson Wong photo.
context_page_description: Due to the nature of triathlons as a race consisting of multiple sports many pieces of technical equipment have been borrowed from other sports, or developed specifically in an effort to race faster and improve a competitors safety.
context_section_description: Swim caps  are normally provided by the event with the colours to organise and categorise swimmers by event or by heat. Swim goggles are used to protect the eyes of the swimmer from the water and to allow greater vision when swimming. In some triathlons the swim portion is held in a swimming pool if this is the case no wetsuit is used and no special care is required for the goggles or swim cap. Usually though triathlon swims are done in open water (lakes, rivers, or oceans), therefore extra considerations must be made about equipment.
  Due to the reduced visibility of participants in open water bright coloured swimming caps are almost exclusively used to allow swimmers to be seen for both safety and spectators. Swim goggles for open water swimming will often have either coloured or mirrored lenses, because without this light reflecting of the waters surface will dazzle or blind swimmers not allowing them to see where they are swimming.
caption: Gold medallist Simon Whitfield preparing for the swim.
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